


Boys get dresses, Girls get Suits

by christallized



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, I love her, Kind of crack fic, Wholesome boys, mostly Alix-centered because, not very romance focused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24706474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/christallized/pseuds/christallized
Summary: It all starts with a stupid dress code for a school dance. Alix actively protests against wearing dresses. Kim has a bad idea. Things get blown out of proportion and now Marinette has to design dresses for practically every boy in her class.
Relationships: Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg
Comments: 102
Kudos: 284





	1. Chapter 1

_Women's Dress Rules: All girls must wear a formal or semi-formal dress. The length of the dress must extend below the student's fingertips when the student's arms are at her sides or be accompanied by tights or stockings._

"This is bullshit!" Alix crumpled the paper and threw it on the ground, making several people in the art room jump.

"Alix, please," the Art teacher said, "we've talked about swearing in the art room."

Alix grabbed a can of spray paint, shaking it with a fury that exceeded her small stature. "I can't believe this! They want all the girls to wear dresses. I can't rollerskate in a dress!"

"What's this about dresses?" Marinette asked, looking up from the shawl that she was fixing around Rose's shoulders as the smaller girl posed.

"Were you not here this morning?" Nathaniel turned from his comic to face the group. "Principal Damocles had a school-wide meeting. Everyone got a paper."

Marinette's eyes widened. "I...uh...yes! I mean no! I mean I had to help my parents with the bakery this morning, since one of the ovens was broken and they had to...well..."

"So you weren't here," Rose finished for her.

Juleka chuckled warmly. "Here, you can have mine." She passed a small pamphlet to the flustered girl.

Marinette took the paper with a sheepish grin. "Thanks, Juleka. What's this?"

"The school will be holding a formal dance in a little less than a month," Rose explained. "Apparently someone famous is going to be visiting, so the principal wants everyone to be well dressed. How do I look, Marinette?" She twirled, letting the pink shawl flare around her shoulders.

Marc leaned over Nathaniel's shoulder to give a sympathetic glance to Alix. "Dress or not, you probably wouldn't be allowed to wear your rollerskates to the event."

Alix scowled, crossing her arms. "I hate wearing dresses."

The art group glanced at each other. It was no secret that Alix wasn't particularly fond of formal or feminine rules. She preferred to follow her own code, a code which explicitly stated that Alix Kubdel was not required to wear dresses or skirts.

"Maybe you could talk with Mr. Damocles," Rose suggested. "You could ask him to change the dress code so girls can have the option to wear dress pants instead."

Alix's shoulders relaxed a little, but she still kept her arms crossed and a frown across her face. "I don't think he'd listen," she muttered, scuffing her foot against the ground.

"That's a great idea, Rose!" Marinette encouraged. "Come on, Alix, I bet if you told him how you felt the principal would understand!"

Juleka glanced around the room. "Maybe someone should go with you," she mumbled, avoiding Alix's gaze. The art room was suddenly reminded of Alix's unique method of diplomacy, which involved less discussion and more shouting. They needed someone with a less stubborn approach.

"Yeah, to help...with talking to Mr. Damocles," Marinette said, smiling weakly. "Nathaniel?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you mind going with Alix to see Mr. Damocles after history class?"

The red-head fidgeted with the pencil in his hand, looking sheepish."Oh...well...I kind of had plans and..."

Nathaniel turned to Marc, who smiled. "It's okay," his friend assured. "I'll wait outside the school until you're done."

Alix seemed to relax a little more. She released the death grip on her spray paint can, setting it on the ground before sitting down on the elevated platform, picking up the crumpled piece of paper and unfolding it again.

"I still doubt that he'll listen," she said.

"Don't think like that," Marinette encouraged. "You've got to be positive about these things. If you believe you're doing something right, then you've got to go for it with all your heart!"

"We've got this," Nathaniel said, giving her a thumbs up.


	2. Chapter 2

_The same day-Approximately One month before the School Dance_

The door to the principal's office slammed open as Alix stormed out, followed closely by Nathaniel.

"This is utter, complete, bullshit!" Alix seethed for the second time that day.

"Hey, calm down," Nathaniel said, quickly stepping out of Alix's immediate attack range. "Just take a few breaths, alright?"

"I might scream."

Alix stomped into the classroom, surprised to find that some of her classmates were still there. Kim and Max were animatedly talking to each other at one desk, while Marinette, Alya, Nino, and Adrien were in a group, listening to Alya with varying degrees of attention as she showed them something on her phone.

"Oh! Alix!" Marinette said, cutting Alya's conversation short. "How did your meeting with Mr. Damocles go?"

If looks could kill, Marinette would already be six feet under. With credit to the baker girl's bravery, she managed to look more sympathetic than terrified. "That bad, huh?" Alix stomped back to her desk and grabbed her backpack from the seat.

"Girl, you've got to stop getting distracted!" Alya said, snapping her fingers in front of Marinette's face. "So, as I was saying about Ladybug and Chat Noir, I think-"

"Is everything alright, Alix?" Adrien said, interrupting Alya mid-sentence. "What's going on?"

Alix scowled and slid down into her seat. "I asked Mr. Damocles to change the dress rules so I wouldn't have to wear a dress to the school dance, and-guess what?-he shot me down. Something about this being a formal occasion for some hotshot celebrity who was visiting or something and the school 'had to follow the rules'." She accentuated the phrase with quotation marks and bared teeth.

"Hey, you did your best," Nathaniel said. "At least you didn't punch Mr. Damocles or get akumatized."

Kim grinned. "What would a dress-hating akuma even do?" He pursed his lips in an expression of mock anger. "I am the pants-wearing villain, and my villain name is Pants Pantster!"

A small smile lifted the edges of Alix's mouth. "Shut up,"

"From now on, everyone will wear pants. If you're already wearing pants, then...uh...wear more pants!"

Alix snorted. "That's stupid," she said, but Kim's antics seemed to have lightened her mood a little.

"Still, it's really uncool of Mr. Damocles to do that," Nino said. "You shouldn't have to wear a dress if you don't want to."

"I could talk about it on the school blog if you want," Alya said. "It might convince him to change his mind if enough students complain."

Max straightened his glasses. "According to my calculations, that would be a highly unlikely outcome, Alya. Mr. Damocles would be more likely to remove the article from the school blog and possibly suspend you for attempting to deface his character on the school website."

"What if I made you something that looked like a dress, but functioned like pants?" Marinette suggested.

"What, like a jumpsuit?" Nino asked.

"I could make the fabric around the legs really loose so it's in one piece, but can still work as pants-"

"Don't worry about it," Alix said, putting her elbows on the desk and resting her chin in her hands. "I'll probably just not go to the dance anyway."

"That's not fair to you, though," Adrien said.

"Yeah," Marinette chimed in. "You shouldn't have to miss out on the party because of some outdated dress code."

"Besides, I bet I could wear a dress way better than you," Kim said.

The rest of the classroom froze.

Alix looked up at him. "What?"

Kim was grinning. "I bet if I wore a dress to the dance, I'd rock the look much better than you, and it's dumb to try and make you wear a dress. But I could wear the dress for you, and then you could wear pants, and that'd solve everything, right?"

Max spluttered. "N-no, it doesn't solve that. The boy's dress code specifically states-"

"Who cares about the dress rules?" Kim said. "I'm gonna prove that I can wear a dress better than Alix ever could! And Alix is gonna prove that she doesn't have to wear a dress to go to a formal dance!"

"That wouldn't change anything," Max said. "You'd probably just get in trouble."

"Not if you do it with me," Kim said.

Max blinked once. Then twice. "Pardon?"

"Adrien, Nino, Nathaniel, you guys! If we all wear dresses to the dance, Mr. Damocles won't be able to suspend us all! He'll have to change the dress code!"

Nino and Nathaniel looked too stunned to speak. Adrien glanced to Kim, then to Alix, who was also frozen, mouth agape. He shrugged and smiled. "Sure, why not!"

"WHAT?"

"Adrien?"

Adrien smiled shamelessly. "Kim's right, though. The school shouldn't have to force Alix to wear a dress if she doesn't want to. Besides, it's not a crime for men to wear dresses, either. In fact, my father designed a dress for a male celebrity a few months ago. I'll do it!"

"We could turn this into a whole fashion protest!" Alya grabbed Marinette's sketchbook from her hands and began flipping through the pages before holding up a sketch of a flowery pantsuit. "If all the boys wore dresses and all the girls wore suits, we could totally make Mr. Damocles change his mind!"

"Are you all insane?" Marinette squeaked, grabbing her sketchbook from Alya's hands.

"I'm in," Nino said. "I'll support my buddies." He patted Adrien's back.

Max sighed. "Very well. If you believe this will truly aid towards changing the school's dress code, then I will do my part."

Nathaniel looked to Alix, who was staring at the group with wide eyes. He waved a hand in front of her face. "Alix? Are you still there?"

"What is happening," Alix whispered. "Is this a dream? Am I dreaming?"

"Nathaniel?" Alya looked to the artist boy. "Are you in?"

Nathaniel hesitated. "I'll probably get made fun of," he muttered.

"You won't," Adrien insisted. "We're all going to be doing this with you. If anyone makes fun of you, they'll have to deal with us."

Nathaniel turned to Alix. "You're lucky we're such good friends," he said, frowning. "I'd never agree to this otherwise."

Alix opened and closed her mouth, trying to speak. "I-what?"

"I'll text Ivan," Nino said. "See if he'll be on board with this."

Alya turned to Marinette. "I bet you could make lots of incredible designs for the whole class, Marinette!"

"Me? Well, I do have a lot of dress designs, but the school dance is less than a month away! I won't have time to make dresses for all the boys in class!"

"We'll figure something out," Adrien said, putting a hand on Marinette's shoulder. Marinette turned crimson and smiled awkwardly.

Alix stared up at all of them. "You guys...."

"Don't worry, Alix," Kim said, giving her a thumbs up. "We're going to make this school dance the best party this place has ever seen!"

"We're going to be known as the weirdest class in this school," Alya said with a grin.

"We're already known as the weirdest class in this school," Kim retorted.

"Kim, we should probably be going," Max said. "The movie starts in 40 minutes and calculating our most efficient route-including snack and bathroom lines-we only have a 3-minute space for error!"

"Whoops! Gotta go," Kim said, grabbing Max's arm and bolting for the door. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see you then!"

"Well, that's our cue to leave," Alya said, slipping her hand into Nino's. "Text me if you need any help, girl!"

"She forgot to tell us about her new Chat Noir and Ladybug discovery," Adrien said.

"Hopefully she doesn't remember tomorrow," Marinette sighed. Realized what she just said, the girl instantly became flustered. "Oh! I didn't mean it like that," she said, turning red. "It's just that-well-I mean-"

"Don't worry, I won't say anything," Adrien said. "See you, Marinette."

"Yeah! She's-uh, see you!"

Nathaniel leaned over Kim's desk to look his friend in the eyes. "Alix?"

"What," Alix brought her hands to her forehead, "the actual _shit_ ," she brought her hands to the table, "just happened?"

"I think Kim tried to make a dare but got confused and now all the boys are going to wear dresses and the girls are going to wear suits to protest the school dance's dress code," Marinette said.

"You can scream if you want to," Nathaniel added. "I think it's fully justified now."

"I'm not going to scream, don't worry," Alix said. "I'm just not processing _anything_ that just happened. Can the world just-not make me go through an emotional rollercoaster for five minutes right now? _"_

"You'll have plenty of time to process it between the rest of today and tomorrow," Marinette said. "Nathaniel, do you have any ideas for what kind of dress you're looking for?"

Nathaniel let out a long breath. "Alix, please don't make me regret doing this for you. I've got to catch up with Marc, see you tomorrow." The two walked out, leaving Alix in the empty classroom.

Alix wanted to laugh, or maybe cry, or something. This was, by far, probably one of the weirdest things this class would do-for her! So that she didn't have to wear a dress to the school dance!

Alix glanced to the side. One of the other students had left their school dance pamphlet on the desk. The _Women's Dress Rules_ stood out to her in fancy white letters at the bottom of the page.

Screw dress rules. Screw whatever consequences come from this. She, Alix Kubdel, was going to the dance in her own style.

A grin spread across her face. She couldn't wait to see the look on Mr. Damocles' face when he saw her walk in wearing a suit and pants, surrounding by the prettiest, most flamboyant boys this school would ever see.

This dance couldn't come quickly enough.


	3. Chapter 3

_A few weeks before the school dance_

The date for the school dance was coming up way too quickly.

Marinette made a futile attempt to blink away the exhaustion as she sketched another flower into the design for Rose's suit.

"Marinette, you should take a break," Tikki said, zooming around the girl's head. To Marinette, the kwami looked like a red blur. "It's been hours and you need your rest!"

"I can't do that, Tikki, I'd be letting everyone else down!" Marinette flipped through her sketchbook. "I have to make designs for almost everyone in class! Rose wants her suit to be especially flowery and pink, Max wants his dress to look professional, and Ivan still hasn't said whether or not he's actually going to be a part of this at all!"

"At least you don't have to make designs for everyone," Tikki said. "Adrien said he'd be able to handle his own dress, as well as convincing Chloe and Sabrina! That's three people you don't have to worry about!"

"Yeah, but Nathaniel texted me this afternoon and told me that Marc's also going to be joining in with this plan," Marinette groaned. "I still have to get measurements, fabrics-how am I going to do all of this in less than a month?"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," Tikki said with a comforting smile. The little kwami gave her owner a small hug on the shoulder. "You've got friends that you can rely on."

"You're right," Marinette smiled, returning the hug with her free hand. "Right now, all I can do is focus on what's in front of me!"

"No, you need sleep-"

"Right, concept designs," Marinette said. "Kim sent me a few pictures of dresses in a style that he liked. I think I've got an idea of what he's looking for."

Tikki shook her head. "Alright then. Just a few more minutes and then you're going to sleep, okay?"

"Deal."

~oOo~

"Marinette!"

Marinette jerked awake. "Ah! Yes! What?" She blinked as the world came back into focus. The class was staring at her. "Where's Miss Bustier?"

Alya laughed. "Girl, class is over already! You didn't even wake up when the bell rang! How long did you stay up last night?"

"Not long," Marinette said, immediately contradicting herself with a loud yawn. "Just a few...hours. Besides, I promised I'd get you all concepts before today, and I did!"

"Yes," Max said, pulling out his phone. "But you sent me these sketches at precisely 3:48 am. Although my satisfaction with this dress is at 100 percent, my worry about your well-being has increased by at least 67 percent!"

"I'm fine," Marinette said, trying not to look as tired as she felt. "You guys are counting on me, so I'll make sure to have all of your designs done before the dance."

"Marinette," Mylene said, resting a sympathetic hand on the tired girl's shoulder. "If you need any help, you can just ask. I'm sure we'd all be happy to help!"

"Right," Marinette nodded, staring off into the middle distance. "What about your designs, though? I haven't heard from you or Ivan yet."

Mylene smiled. "Don't worry about Ivan and I. We'd already ordered our clothes before this whole plan came up. Sorry, Alix, I hope you don't mind."

"Don't worry about it," Alix said. "That's kinda what this whole thing is about. You shouldn't have to feel guilty about what you wear. I'm not going to make you wear a suit or Ivan wear a dress if you guys don't want to. Wear what you want."

"Under appropriate modesty rules, of course," Max added.

"Thanks, Alix," Ivan said. "You too, Marinette."

Marinette didn't respond.

"She's really out of it," Alya whispered to Mylene.

Chloe, who had been watching the conversation in silence, suddenly stood up. "This is utterly ridiculous," she scoffed.

"Chloe," Adrien warned.

"Don't worry, Adrikins, I'm keeping my promise." The blond-haired girl strode over to Marinette's seat, leaning over the table. "You're not yourself, Dupain-Cheng." Marinette blinked dully back at the blonde girl. "You can't even keep your eyes open! At this point, you'll probably just make a fool of yourself and everyone else. It's pitiful, utterly pitiful."

"Hey," Alya said, placing herself between the two girls.

"Shut it, glasses!" Chloe snapped. "I'm not going to be a part of the school's biggest dance fiasco. If the baker girl tries to make these clothes, you'd all be better off wearing scraps and cardboard to the dance instead."

"Don't talk about Marinette like that!" Alix seethed. "It's not like you could do any better!"

"Oh, please," Chloe said. "Daddy will have the best stylists in France make me all the clothes I want. Which is why," she turned back to Marinette, "I'm going to make sure this class doesn't end up as a nation-wide embarrassment."

Alix paused. "What?"

"I'm going to make sure you all look slightly less horrible by the time the dance comes around," Chloe said. "Dupain-Cheng, you just focus what's still left of your brain on designing the clothes of this class. I'll deal with the rest." Picking up Marinette's design book in one hand and dialing on her phone with the other, she walked away from the group. The class watched her in stunned silence. "Hello, Daddy? I have some clothes that I need made before the school dance."

"She really does have good heart," Rose said, smiling widely.

"Let's settle for an 'ok' heart," Alya responded. "I'm mostly convinced she's just doing this for attention." Alya looked at Adrien. "What was that she said about 'keeping a promise'?"

Adrien shrugged. "It doesn't matter what her intentions are. She's still doing something good. Right, Marinette?"

Adrien looked back to see Marinette, face down on the desk.

"She's snoring," Nino commented.

"Hey, Max!" Kim said, waving his phone. "I've got to show you the dress Marinette made for me. It's incredible!"

"Ooh! Juleka, what does your suit look like?" Rose grabbed the taller girl's arm.

"It's cool, I guess," Juleka said, turning red.

"Marinette," Alya said, tapping her friend on the shoulder. "Did you make a suit for yourself? I wanna see!"

Marinette shook her head sleepily. "No, I-" her eyes shot open. "I forgot to make a suit for myself! And Alix! I haven't made the suit for Alix oh god Alix I'm sorry-"

Alya laughed. "Don't worry, girl. You've got all the time in the world to focus on that now."


	4. Chapter 4

_Four days before the school dance_

"Come on, Nino! Did your dress come in yet? Tell me you took a picture!"

Miss Bustier raised an eyebrow over her papers. Class wasn't due to start for a few more minutes, and some of her students were idly chatting with each other with varying degrees of volume, some in hushed whispers, some...not. Alya and Nino were being louder than she would generally allow during the mornings, but that thought was all but gone from her mind as her curiosity piqued.

"You bet! It's totally awesome, Marinette really is the best designer for the job! Look, there's even a holographic stripe down the middle of my dress, it's too cool!"

_Dress?_

As Alya gushed over what Nino was showing on his phone, Chloe and Sabrina walked in.

"...and make sure you wear those shoes I got you with your suit. It won't clash as much as those other shoes that you had, honestly, you would have looked horrible."

"Of course, Chloe!" Sabrina followed after Chloe's footsteps. "Thank you, Chloe! That's really nice of you!"

"I know, right?" Chloe laughed. "It's just _super_ generous of me, isn't it? But make no mistake, I'm doing this for Adrien, got it?"

Sabrina nodded enthusiastically.

At the mention of a suit, something sparked in the back of Miss Bustier's mind. She'd heard something about suits and the dance happening this Friday, but where?

"Alix!" Marinette walked in, waving to Alix and Nathaniel in the back. "I finished your suit!"

Alix beamed with the chaotic joy that Miss Bustier had grown to both love and fear from the small girl. "Did you take a picture? Can I see?"

"Even better, I brought it with me," Marinette said. "It's in my locker now, but I can give it to you after class."

"You made Alix's suit yourself?" Nathaniel questioned.

"Since Chloe's having her personal stylists make everyone elses' clothes, I had enough time to make two suits!" Marinette was practically bouncing, an energy that seemed to be reflective of every student today.

"Oh! What does your suit look like?"

Marinette winked at Alix. "You'll see," she sang.

"You should see Marc's dress," Alix said, grinning at Nathaniel, who avoided her teasing stare. "He sent Nath a picture of him wearing it this morning. I thought he died for a couple minutes. He actually stopped breathing."

Nathaniel's face wasn't quite as red as his hair, but there was definitely competition between the two colors. "I don't know if I'll survive seeing him in person," he finally admitted, opening his sketchbook to avoid looking at his friends. "Marinette, I have to both applaud and curse your incredible designs."

Marinette laughed. "Trust me, I feel the same way. What about your own dress?"

"It should arrive tomorrow." Nathaniel doodled a few flowers into the corner of a page. "What if it doesn't fit? Or it looks bad?"

"It won't," Marinette assured him. "And if it does, I'll fix it up for you."

"Yeah!" Alix punched a fist in the air, having learned long ago that friendly punches to the shoulder were not Nathaniel's preferred signs of enthusiasm. "Don't chicken out on me now, ok? Everything will be great!"

Miss Bustier was no longer pretending to be interested in her papers. Every time another student opened their mouth, it felt like they were giving more questions than answers to the many, many questions that were now at the front of her mind.

"Really, dude? Your old man designed your dress himself?"

"Yeah! He said it would make an important statement for the Agreste family, so he wanted it to be up to his standards."

"Kim, it seems highly improbable that the dress code had this in mind."

"What? They're stockings! The rules said to wear stockings or tights if the dress isn't low enough!"

"Yes, but these can hardly be considered-"

The bell suddenly rang loudly across the school, startling Miss Bustier from her eavesdropping. "Alright, students, let's settle down," she called, as the class reluctantly moved to their seats.

Only half of her mind was occupied with teaching that day.

~oOo~

"Oh, the dresses?" The Art teacher nodded his head at Miss Bustier's inquiry. "Yes, I've heard about it."

Miss Mendeleiev scowled over her cup of coffee. "I could barely keep my science class focused," she complained. "They kept whispering to each other."

Miss Bustier glanced at the other two teachers across the table where they were sharing lunch. "Any ideas as to what this is about?"

"It's probably another prank," Miss Mendeleiev said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Quite the opposite, actually," the Art teacher said, leaning forward over the table. "I believe it originated when Alix went to talk to Mr. Damocles with some complaints about the dress code. They were talking about it during one of my free hours."

Miss Bustier raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Well, the code states that all the ladies must wear dresses. Alix wasn't very happy about this and was planning to ask Mr. Damocles for a change in the rules. Judging by the sudden small rebellion your class is now planning, I can draw a few conclusions as to how this all played out."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let them go through with this?" Miss Mendeleiev said. "Your class will most likely be branded as the....weird class of this school after the dance."

Miss Bustier laughed. "They're already the weird class of this school. I don't see any reason to stop their plan. After all, it's not hurting anybody."

The art teacher nodded. "Speaking of which, would either of you happen to know of a place where I can borrow a dress for a short period of time?"

Miss Mendeleiev spluttered. "I-you can't be serious!"

The grey-haired man smiled. "I think it would benefit our students if they knew we were there to support them."

Miss Bustier nodded. "I think you're right. What about you?" She smiled at her friend.

"Hmm..." The scientist scratched her head. "I wasn't fond of the idea of wearing something that's not up to lab safety standards to the dance anyway. I suppose if it's for the students..."

~oOo~

"Ta-da!" Marinette opened the art room's door with a flourish, ushering a neatly-dressed Alix into the room.

Rose squealed. "Oooh, you look gorgeous!"

"Super cool," Juleka added.

"It's very you," Marc said.

Nathaniel gave her a thumbs up. "You're the pinnacle of rebellion."

"Hell yeah I am!" Alix posed on the staging area at the front of the room. The design was very simplistic: A ruffled dress shirt, an open blazer, and a pair of neon pink overall straps that matched her hair exemplified the simple, bold defiance that her suit conveyed.

"Should we accessorize?" Marinette asked, tapping a finger to her lips. "Maybe some green to contrast the pink in this outfit...a necklace wouldn't sit very well on the ruffles in your shirt, so we could go for bracelets, rings..."

"There's no need," Alix said, shoving her hands into the pockets of her white dress pants. "I'm not trying to look fancy. This is perfect-I love the pockets! Besides, Marc and Rose have fancy all covered for me already!"

Juleka nudged Rose with a smile, who wrapped her arms around the goth girl in return. Marc pulled the drawstrings of his hoodie together until his face was hidden under it.

"I can't wait until the dance," Alix said, lifting her arms to test how her jacket felt against her shoulders. "Do you think Mr. Damocles knows?"

"Well, we haven't been too quiet about it," Marinette said. "But there hasn't been a lot of gossip outside of this class...so there's a good chance he doesn't."

"I hope he doesn't." Alix sighed. "I can almost visualize the shock on his face."

Marinette brushed a loose piece of dust from Alix's blazer. "Hopefully he takes it all well. He's not a bad person, but I don't want the principal to think this is defiance against him personally."

"Of course not!" Alix huffed. "This is against the dress code. Sure, if he had listened to me from the start, we wouldn't be doing this, but this about girls wearing suits!"

"And boys wearing dresses," Nathaniel added.

"And having a little fun with it," Rose said.

"And Kim proving that he can wear a dress better than you," Marinette concluded.

Alix snapped her fingers. "Exactly. Let's have the time of our lives this Friday!"

The group cheered, bolstered by Alix's unshakable confidence and the sheer ridiculousness of the whole plan.


	5. Chapter 5

_Day of the school dance_

The air was warm and welcoming, tinged with a slight breeze that kept the heat from feeling unbearable. Alix felt nervous and excited as she approached the school, like she was waiting at the starting line of a race.

She could see other students filtering into the school doors, wearing all kinds of dresses and suits, but no one she knew. Alix fidgeted with the adjusters on her overall straps.

"Alix!"

Marinette's voice was clear and bright, instantly dissipating any second thoughts Alix may have been having. She turned as Marinette ran up to her, almost tripping over nothing twice.

"Marinette! You look great!"

Marinette giggled and spread her arms wide, showing off the white-to-pink gradient of her matching suit and pants, her buttoned-up suit, and the long black bow that was tied around the collar of her undershirt. "Thanks to...thanks to Chloe," she muttered, her voice dropping at the thought of thanking their resident brat but instantly resuming her cheery enthusiasm. "I managed to put this one together without pulling any all-nighters!"

Alix high-fived her well-dressed friend. "Not taking anyone to the dance, I guess?"

The look that Marinette gave her was comparable to that of a kicked puppy. Alix winced apologetically.

"Marinette! Alix!"

A car pulled up to the side of the pavement, barely able to roll to a stop before the door burst open and Alya stumbled out.

"Hey, be careful!" Some called out from inside the car.

"Thanks for the ride, Nora!" Alya yelled back. "Nino, come on!"

Alya looked like a professional journalist, with her black suit and white pants. She straightened her plaid-patterned red tied before grabbing Nino's hand and pulling him out of the car with her. "Marinette!" She cheered, and several students turned to look at her as she pointed to her boyfriend. "You made this! Look at this!"

Nino laughed as he held Alya's hand. His dress was a dark grey, accentuated by a long holographic strip that ran down the front of his collared neckline and formed a rim around the edges, ending just above his knees. The brightly reflective stripe caught the afternoon sun and refracted into a thousand dazzling colors.

"Dude," Alix said.

"Dude," Nino repeated, adjusting the matching wristbands that had replaced his normal array of bracelets.

"You look _amazing_."

"I know! It's weird, but not as weird as I thought it'd be-"

"Wait." Marinette put up a hand. "Nino."

"Yeah?"

"Are you...are you wearing socks over your tights?"

Alya and Alix both glanced down to his sneakers.

"Is that not how you wear them?"

Marinette frowned. "No, not usually. I mean, it's probably fine, right? No one else is going to notice."

"We'll just say it's intentional," Alya said. "You're still wearing your hat, so we can probably pass it off as an...aesthetic choice, right?"

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, let's not worry about that now."

Nino placed his hands on his hips. "Well _I_ think I look great," he said, and their small group gave various signals of affirmation. "Oh! Mr. Damocles asked me to DJ for this party. We should probably get going."

"See you inside!" Alya said, grabbing Nino's arm and joining the flow of people entering the school.

"You both look great!" Marinette cheered back. "So," she turned to Alix. "Ready to head in?"

Alix grinned. "You bet."

~oOo~

There was a reasonably sized crowd in the school gym, small enough to easily navigate through but large enough to make it difficult for the two girls to find the rest of their class through the swarm of people. Alix thought she saw Mylene and Ivan pass by, Mylene wearing a simple green dress and Ivan in a black suit and bowtie. They looked nice, but they weren't the people she was looking for.

"Godammit," Alix muttered. "If I was taller I could-"

Marinette suddenly stopped, almost causing Alix to crash into her.

"Marinette? Do you see someone?" Alix stood on her toes, trying to catch a glimpse of what Marinette could see. "Who is it?"

"Ad.....Adri...." Marinette stammered.

Alix watched as the girl's face turned red. "It's Adrien, isn't it?" Marinette could only nod mutely in response. "Well, come on! Let's go talk to him!"

"Are you crazy?" Marinette grabbed Alix's hand. "I can't do it! Not now, I haven't mentally prepared yet!"

Where was Alya when a girl needed her? Alix wasn't equipped to deal with Marinette's mental acrobatics around her crush. "Don't look so nervous," she said, pulling Marinette with her through the crowd. "We're just going to say hi."

She jostled her way through the crowd of people, ignoring the rude looks she got in response until she found herself at the edge of the circle of photographers and fans. In the center, posing with model-trained elegance, was Adrien Agreste in an evening gown.

A loose black jacket was draped over his shoulders and tapered off into long sleeves at the elbows, while the dress billowed into a rose-patterned full-length skirt with lace where the fabric overlapped. The skirt opened just above his knee, flowing out behind him.

"He looks like a Disney princess," Alix said. "The skirt's all flowy and stuff."

"It's a hoop skirt," Marinette explained. "It gives the dress more volume. His father really is a genius."

"You should get a closer look," Alix prompted in a none-too-subtle way. "Hey! Adrien!"

Adrien turned to them, and his well-practiced 'model smile' was replaced with a genuine grin. "Guys! It's good to see you!"

"H-hey, Adrien!" Marinette said. "You're really attractive! I mean your dress! It's attractive!"

Adrien grinned. "Thanks, Marinette! Your suit looks incredible, too! Did you make it yourself?"

Marinette opened her mouth, but nothing came from her mouth except disjunct syllables.

Alix stepped in. "Marinette made both of our suits on her own."

"Wow! You really are a great designer!" Adrien directed a beaming smile towards Marinette.

Marinette managed to squeak out a "thanks!" before turning and practically leaping back into the crowd, abandoning Alix.

"Have you seen anyone else yet?" Alix asked the blond boy. "We ran into Nino and Alya on the way there."

Adrien opened his mouth to respond.

"Adrikinnns!"

Alix stepped out of the way as Chloe practically threw herself into Adrien's arms.

"Hey, Chloe," Adrien said, respectfully pushing her out of his immediate personal space.

Alix swept a quick glance over Chloes' look. Well, her look was definitely inspired by Queen Bee, that was for certain. A long stripe bisected her suit between a solid yellow and a black-yellow pattern. Her jacket was lined with a soft, fur-like texture, as well as the black sash around her waist. Her suit looked fancy, and it looked expensive, which defined the two aspects of Chloe's being that she had traded from a personality. Behind her was Sabrina, in a tailcoated vest and striped pants.

Alix tried to search the crowd for Marinette, but she was nowhere to be seen. She looked back to find Chloe obnoxiously posing with Adrien in front of the cameras and promptly decided to find someone else to talk with.

The last stanzas of music faded out, soon replaced with a slower, more romantic song. Alix scanned what had become the established dance floor as some people began to pair up into twos and others left the floor to sit at the chairs lining the walls, or to gather in front of the snack tables. It didn't take long before she spotted a glimpse of purple-streaked hair-Juleka. She and Rose were next to a bowl of punch, chatting.

Rose saw Alix approach and raised a hand in greeting. "Do you want punch?" She offered. "Juleka and I decided to take a break from the dance floor for a bit. Dancing's really tiring."

"I'm good," Alix said. "I love your suits!"

Juleka smiled and fiddled with the hair clasp that kept both her eyes visible. "We chose purple and pink, to match our usual outfits," she said.

Juleka's black suit and purple undershirt matched her regular aesthetic, while Rose's suit was pink with a even paler pink button-up shirt. Alix noted the purple flowers embroidered into Rose's pants and the pink choker that Juleka wore. They really did compliment each other.

"Did you see Adrien's dress?" Rose squealed. "He looked gorgeous!"

"I was just talking to him. Do you know if anyone else is here?"

"I saw Max a few minutes ago," Juleka said. "Alya and Nino are dancing now," she pointed to the dance floor, where Alix could see the couple dancing close to the currently unoccupied DJ setup.

Rose grabbed Juleka's arm. "There's Marc and Nath! How cute!"

Alix followed Rose's line of sight to where the two boys were talking in the corner of the room, away from the rest of the crowd. "I'm gonna go say hi," she said. "You two have fun!"

"Bye!"

The creative duo didn't seem to notice her as Alix approached.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," Nathaniel assured Marc, who had a death grip on his arm.

"Thanks," Marc said. "I feel like my ankles might break."

"Whoa," Alix said. "Marc, did you get super tall?"

Marc turned to face the smaller girl. "Oh, hey Alix. I might have done something dumb and...tried to wear heels to the dance."

Marc was wearing a sleeveless black dress with a slit up one leg and, as Alix could now see, very tall boots with heels. Nathaniel was allowing the taller boy to hold onto him for balance. The redhead had insisted on wearing his normal grey jacket, under which he had a pastel blue sundress with a red midsection.

"Can you walk?" Alix asked.

"Not without help," Marc said. "Every time I try to take a step, I just feel like I'm losing balance and-oh god I'm falling Nathaniel catch me catch me catch me-"

"I've got you, I've got you," Nathaniel said, holding Marc's gloved hands in his own. "I'm not going to let you fall."

Alix waggled her eyebrows at Nathaniel, who stared daggers at her in return. Marc was too focused on keeping his balance to notice.

"So, plan on dancing?" She said, looking innocently between the two.

"I don't know if I can," Marc admitted, glancing to Nathaniel. "But we could try. Maybe if we stayed close to the walls, just in case-what is Kim wearing?"

Alix was suddenly aware of the new crowd that had gathered near the dance floor. The music was lively once again, as though to announce the person that now occupied the dance floor and the attention of the room.

She saw Max first, standing to the side in a pencil skirt dress and a suit jacket, very pointedly not looking at the person that everyone else was staring at. The crowd began to part for him, and she saw Kim.

The first thought that came to her mind was "pink". Well, no. The first thought that came to her mind was "what the _fuck_ ", but "pink" was a close second.

Kim was wearing the shortest and brightest pink dress that Alix had ever seen. There were no sleeves, the low-cut bodice hugging his chest in a way that Alix was certain was probably against school dress code. And, because of course he would, he was wearing _fishnet stockings_ and heels.

"That's...wow," Nathaniel said, at a loss for words.

"He's dancing in heels," Marc said. "How did he-how do you do that? I can barely walk and he's just-"

"God forbid he decides to bend over," Nathaniel said.

Alix could only stare. Everything that they had worked on, boys wearing dresses and girls wearing suits, all of that had culminated to this very scene that was in front of her. Alix felt too aware that it was her decisions that were responsible for whatever she was witnessing now.

It was at that point that Kim noticed their group in the corner, watching from a distance. He locked eyes with Alix, _winked_ , and then continued dancing.

Alix burst out laughing.

Some of the crowd stepped back at the unexpected sound. Alix doubled over, clutching her chest and laughing. Kim saw this and stopped dancing. With the poise of someone who had no doubt practiced walking in heels, he strode over, offering a hand to help her up. His nails were also painted neon pink.

"So," he said, striking a pose. "Did I win the bet?"

Alix snorted. "I-haha! You actually _did it_! Ha! Oh god, Kim! You were right, you-ha-you can wear a dress better-better than me-I can't breathe, haha! Oh, this was so worth it!"

Kim shook Alix's hand as a sign of good faith. "You totally rock the suit look," he said. "Guess we were both right after all."

"What is the meaning of this?"

The music stopped. Alix looked up to see Mr. Damocles at the entrance of the school, staring at them. She noted with pride the shocked look in his eyes, the slack in his jaw, the way he stood, frozen in place. Then the shock was replaced with something bordering fury, and she noted that with less pride as he strode towards them.

Nathaniel, Marc, and Max both stepped in front of the two almost instantly. Nino stepped away from the DJ equipment, grabbed Alya's hand, and joined the group. Rose and Juleka left the snack table. Adrien pushed his way through the group, Chloe following close behind, and Sabrina following Chloe. Alix jumped as someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Marinette, giving her a smile.

"What is this?" Mr. Damocles glanced around the room. "Alix, I thought I told you that the dress code clearly states-"

"Alix shouldn't have to wear a dress if she doesn't want to!" Kim shouted. "Who cares what the dress rules say?"

"Mr. Le Chien, rules are instigated for a reason!"

"That doesn't mean the rules are perfect."

Caline Bustier pushed her way through the crowd in her suit, followed by Ms. Mendeleiev, who had replaced her jeans for more formal dress pants. Room 33's Art teacher soon followed, wearing a simple white dress.

Alix watched as other people began to step forward. People she barely knew, friends from other classes, people she didn't know at all. Some boys wore dresses. Some girls wore suits. Some wore a mixture of both. Many still followed the dress rules. All of them stood with her, with her class.

Mr. Damocles stared at the teachers, then at the people surrounding Alix like a shield of colorful fabrics.

Max cleared his throat and stepped forward. "If I may."

Miss Bustier nodded. "Go ahead, Max."

"Mr. Damocles, we are aware that the dress code for this dance is meant to enforce modesty among the students. However, we also believe that these rules are also based on an enforcement of gender roles that is no longer applicable in this day and age. We are requesting a change to these rules by proving that there is no negative effect to allowing people of different genders to choose between wearing dresses or suits."

There was a long silence as the crowd stared at Mr. Damocles, waiting for his response. Alix looked around at the group surrounding her. Alya was filming the whole exchange, which wasn't surprising. Marinette kept a firm, assuring hand on her shoulder.

Someone out of Alix's sight began clapping, followed by a slow whistle. "Huh, impressive."

Confusion spread through the crowd as a well-dressed stranger walked into the room to stand by the principal. She wore a striped suit, and her hair was cut in a pixie bob.

"Well, Mr. Damocles," the woman said with a heavy American accent, "you were right when you said the fashion trends in Paris were a noteworthy part of its culture."

Alix blinked. "Who are you?" She blurted.

The woman turned to Alix with a smile. "Oh, no one important," she said with a wave of her hand. "I just work with Mrs. Bourgeois. I'm visiting from New York to write an article on the fashion culture of this city. Say, you're Mr. Agreste's son, aren't you?" She turned to look at Adrien.

"I am," Adrien responded with a cursty.

The woman chuckled. "How polite," she said. "I see your father is still as innovative as ever. Well, I'm afraid I can't stay around for long. I love your suit," she said, pointing back to Alix. "Have a good evening, Mr. Damocles."

"Uh...well...good night," Mr. Damocles replied, blinking owlishly at the woman as she walked away, hands in her pockets.

"Was that the famous person this school was hosting this dance for?" Rose whispered to Marinette. "Was that the _famous person_ _that this whole dance was dedicated to_?"

Marinette shrugged. "I guess?"

Mr. Damocles shook his head. "Oh, well. This...dance. Continue." He walked past the group towards his office, looking dazed and not quite present.

"Alright!" Nino cheered, jumping back onto the stage. The music returned, and the crowd dispersed with a bit of confusion but an overall positive mood.

"That was kind of anti-climactic," Alya said. "He kind of just left."

"That's a good thing," Marinette assured Alya. "Or, I think it's a good thing. He didn't seem to be mad anymore, so all's well that ends well?"

"Hey Alix," Kim said, crossing his arms. "I bet I'm a better dancer than you."

Alix grinned. "In your dreams."

"Max, dance with us! We need you to judge who's the better dancer!"

"I'm afraid my dancing abilities are not-ah!"

Alix smiled as she danced. The rest of the night seemed to pass in a blur of color and sound, highlighted by all of her friends. She saw Adrien and Marinette dancing for a few fleeting seconds before Chloe intervened. She saw Juleka and Rose waltzing across the floor, accidentally crashing into Mylene and Ivan. She saw Alya bringing Nino snacks from the tables while he kept the music going. She saw Marc and Nathaniel dancing in a corner. She saw Nathaniel try to dip Marc, which resulted in panic as the two fell over. She lost the dance contest against Kim, but didn't mind. She danced until the sky grew dark and the music slowed to an eventual end.

~oOo~

_One day after the school dance_

Alix yawned at her desk, waiting for class to start and lazily watching the rest of her class filter in.

"Alix!" Alya ran up to her and slammed her hands on the desk, startling the pink-haired girl awake. "Did you see the school website?"

"What?"

"Look at this!"

Alix blinked at the phone screen suddenly thrust at her face. She squinted as the words came into focus, then smiled.

_School Dance Dress Code:_

_All students may choose to wear a formal or semi-formal suit or dress._

_If wearing a dress, the length of the dress must extend below the student's fingertips when the student's arms are at their sides or be accompanied by tights or stockings. (See-through tights or stockings, i.e. Fishnet stockings, are not suitable.)_

**FIN.**

~oOo~

_AN: Thank you to everyone who's read this far! I had a lot of fun writing this, and hope you had a lot of fun reading! In case you were wondering what the class looked like in full detail, I also drew the class because suffering is a hobby of mine (No Mylene and Ivan though, I feel a little bad for doin the token heteros dirty but)_

_Art!_

_(Note within Author's Note: So I can't seem to figure out how to put images directly onto AO3 so here are the links instead)_

Nino and Alya:

<https://christallizedaccomplice.tumblr.com/post/621189520535191552/please-do-not-repost-or-reuse-without-permission>

Adrien and Marinette:

<https://christallizedaccomplice.tumblr.com/post/621189332010680320/please-do-not-repost-or-reuse-without-permission>

Chloe and Sabrina

<https://christallizedaccomplice.tumblr.com/post/621189472810319872/please-do-not-repost-or-reuse-without-permission>

Rose and Juleka

<https://christallizedaccomplice.tumblr.com/post/621189880671764480/please-do-not-repost-or-reuse-without-permission>

Marc and Nathaniel

<https://christallizedaccomplice.tumblr.com/post/621189420523110400/please-do-not-repost-or-reuse-without-permission>

Kim and Max

<https://christallizedaccomplice.tumblr.com/post/621189396223459328/please-do-not-repost-or-reuse-without-permission>

Alix

<https://christallizedaccomplice.tumblr.com/post/621189306494664704/please-do-not-repost-or-reuse-without-permission>

**Author's Note:**

> So, a bit of context for this fic:  
> When I was in school I did a lot of 'formal style' events: Piano recitals, speech and debate, dance, etc.  
> I didn't like wearing dresses. I was a rough-and-tumble kind of person, who liked climbing trees and vaulting over tables. I can't do that in a dress. Some people were understanding of this, and some were....not.  
> I see some of my teenage self in how Alix is written-I wasn't nearly as cool as she is, though. This fic is partly me addressing my feelings in a way that I wasn't able to as a kid. I tried not to make it seem too "preachy on societal issues masquerading as your favorite characters".  
> This fic is also just me having fun with a cool idea in my head. Hopefully it makes for an interesting read! Thanks for checking out my first fic on here!


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